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Report: Braves pursuing O'Day, Thornton

Joy R. Absalon / Reuters

The Atlanta Braves may not be pushing for a complete rebuild after all.

Atlanta is in the market for relief pitching, and will pursue free agents Darren O'Day and Matt Thornton, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Rosenthal also writes that rival teams bidding for O'Day believe the Braves might end up making the biggest offer.

MLB.com's Mark Bowman followed up Rosenthal's report saying that although the Braves had initial interest in O'Day, it has since evaporated due to the reliever's rising cost.

O'Day, who is seeking a four-year deal, is the top relief pitcher available on the open market after posting a 1.52 ERA in 68 appearances for the Baltimore Orioles.

The 33-year-old right-hander had an ERA below two and held hitters to an average below .200 for the second consecutive season, while also appearing in at least 68 games for a fourth consecutive year. He also made over 60 appearances in a season for the seventh time.

Thornton, 39, pitched in 60 games for the Washington Nationals, posting an ERA of 2.18 and a WHIP of 1.06.

The 12-year veteran could give the Braves a capable left-handed option out of a bullpen that struggled last season, posting the second-worst ERA in baseball (4.69) behind only the Colorado Rockies.

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